Apparatus for printing on u-shaped articles



United States Patent [72] Inventor Karl Klenz Oakland, California 21 1 Appl. No 696,890 [22] Filed Jan. 10, 1968 [45] Patented Dec. 1, 1970 [73] Assignee Rheem Manufacturing Company New York, New York a corporation of California [54] APPARATUS FOR PRINTING 0N U-SHAPED ARTICLES 2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl '101/44, 101/292,101/368,101/407 [51] Int. Cl B41f17/20, 1341f 17/24,B41f 17/36 [50] Field ofSearch l0l/4l- [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,344,007 6/1920 Simpson l01/8X Primary Examiner-Robert E. Pulfrey Assistant Examiner-Clifford D. Crowder Attorney-Gordon Wood ABSTRACT: A apparatus for accurately imprinting indicia on relatively small articles such as U-shaped clips. A relatively large number of articles are secured together in stacked relationship and each group is fed to a printing head for imprinting of each successively. A centering device is provided for centering each clip leg relative to the printing element. A feeding device permits a relatively large number of articles to be loaded in the apparatus at one time.

Patentqd Dec. 1, 1970 v 3,543,681

- Sheet 1 012 INVENTOR.

KARL A. KLENZ M L z-M1 ATTOANE V Patented Dec. 1, 1970 I 3,543, 31

Sheet 2 of 2 FIE--8- I NVENTOR.

"mm 4. mm

M ATTOKA/fy APPARATUS FOR PRINTING N U-SHAPEID ARTICLES This invention relates to a method and apparatus for imprinting. articles. The present invention will be described with respect to the imprinting of U-shaped clips of the type that are employed to encircle and seal the mouth of a casing or the like. However, it will be understood that the invention is applicable to the imprinting of other articles.

In the meat industry it is customary to seal sausage casings and other flexible containers by means of a U-shaped clip which is clinched around themouth of the casing or other container in which the product is received. It is desirable to be able to determine the particular packing; plant at which a product was packaged. .It is also desirable to be able to determine the date on which the packaging took place and other information with respect to the product. The present invention provides a means by which U-shaped clips of the the type employed in the meat industry may be identified by the user of the clips prior to employment of the clips in the sealing process so that at a subsequent time facts regarding the origin and other information may be determined by reference to the imprinted indicia. q

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a reliable printing method and apparatus for imprinting articles such as clips with a' code number or other indicia containing information which is of value to the processor. By the present invention one of the legs of each U-shaped clip is imprinted with indicia but it will be understood that various otherarticles having uniform shapes may also be imprinted in a similar manner.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a clip imprinter which requires very little attention from personnel and which may be loaded with a relatively large number of clips at one time so that the imprinting step is carried out automatically without attention. t

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an imprinting apparatus having a unique means for orienting each article so that all articles will be imprinted with the same high degree of legibility.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification and from the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective of a plurality of articles such as clips showing the means for securing such plurality together to form an elongated member.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective of the printing head and associated apparatus. 3

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of a plurality of imprinted articles.

FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged front elevation of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 3 showing the cooperation of the printing element, guides, and feed finger.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the working end of the apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the printing head.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectionalview taken in a plane indicated by lines 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken in a plane indicated by lines 9-9 of FIG. 1.

In detail, and first with reference to FIG. 1, the apparatus of the present invention includes a housing generally designated 1 provided with 13. By this structure bearing block 13 bottom 2 and a front side 3. Supported on the bottom 2 is an electric motor 5 provided with a speed reducer 6 having an output shaft 7 that carries a sprocket 8. A chain 10 cooperating with sprocket 8 serves to drive another sprocket 11 mounted on a shaft 12 which in turn is rotatably supported in a bearing block 13 mounted on the front side 3 of housingl. Secured to the upper edge of front side 3 is a bar 16 (FIG. 7) which is provided with an adjustment screw 17 threadedlyengaging bearing block 130 by this structure bearing block 13 may be adjusted slightly in a vertical direction for a purposethat will be apparent lateron.

Shaft 12 is provided with an eccentric end 20 (FIG. 8) which is rotatable within a connecting link 21 connected by means of a pin 22 with the upper end of a printing head generally designated 25. At this point it will be apparent upon rotation of motor 5 the printing head 25 is reciprocated vertically between an upper retracted position and a lower printing position. i

As best seen in FIG. 3. the printing head 25 includes avertically extending printing element 26 fixedly but removably secured in said head by cross pin 28 and provided at its lower end with a printing surface 27 (FIG. 5) which is adapted to imprint the leg of each clip when the printing head is at its lowermost position.

The articles imprintedby the present invention constitute U-shaped clips generally designated 30, each having a pair of opposed legs 31, 32 connected together at their corresponding ends by a crown 33 (FIG. 4). For ease of handlingua relatively large number of clips, for example 70 or 80,may be connected together by means of a pair of flexible strips of paper or the like. As seen in FIG. 2, an adhesive strip 34 is provided along the crowns 33 of the clips and a second adhesive strip 35 is provided along the legs 32. In this manner a relatively large number of clips may be manipulated as a unit thus facilitating transportation and the general handling of the clips.

Extending horizontally outwardly from housing I, as a coplanar extension of front side 3, is an elongated front panel 38 which is supported at spaced points along its length by a plurality of brackets 39 secured to the base 2. Said brackets 39 are suitably provided with slots for slidably receiving therethrough an elongated bar 40. This bar 40 extends into housing I and is connected by means of a pin 41 with one end of a horizontally extending link 42 which in turn is connected at its other end to an eccentric 43 provided on the outer end of the shaft 7 of reducer 6. By this structure it will be apparent that the horizontal oscillation of bar 40 by the action of eccentric 43 is synchronized with the vertical reciprocation of printing head 25.

Secured at spaced points along the length of front side 3 and panel 38 are a plurality of supports 47 secured by means of bolts 48 to front side 3 and panel 38. To supports 47 there is secured an elongated clip rail 50 on which the clips 30 are supported. This rail 50 extends outwardly beyond the end of panel 38 as best seen in FIG. 1 so as to permit an operator to feed groups of clips onto the rail 50 with the crowns 33 of the clips interposed between the inner edge of rail 50 and the adjacent housing structure (see FIG. 9).

For the purpose of feeding the clips toward the right as seen in FIG. 1 there are provided a plurality of feed fingers 53 connected to the horizontally oscillating bar 40. This connection is made by means of a block 54 secured to bar 40 by means of screws 55 (FIG. 9) and extending through elongated slots 56 formed in the front side 3 of the housing and the panel 38. The feed fingers 53 are pivotally connected by means of pins 59 to the blocks 54 so that the outer ends 60 of the feed fingers 53 may move up and down over the upper sides of legs 31 of clips 30. Downward movement of the outer ends 60 of each feed finger may be adjustably limited by a stop screw 61 threadedly received in the associated block 54 and engaging the upper side of the feed finger'53. To prevent undesirable bouncing of the finger 53 at high speeds a compression spring 62 is interposed between block 54 and finger 53; these two parts being suitably recessed as is shown in FIG. 3 to receive the ends of said spring.

At this point it will be apparent that the eccentric 43 on shaft 7 may be made adjustable so that upon oscillation of bar 40 the feed fingers 53 advance the clips a distance equal to the diameter of each clip le'g. Upon the return stroke of the fingers 53 the friction of theouter ends 60 of the fingers is prevented from shifting the clips in a reverse direction by means of a dog 65 positioned rearwardly of each feed finger. Each dog 65 is provided with an outer end somewhat similar to the outer end of the feed fingers 53 and is pivoted at its opposite end by means of a pin 66 to the lower end of a generally vertically extending link 67 which in turn is fixedly secured at its upper end bya bolt 68 to the front side 3 of the housing or to the panel 38. The action of dog 65 may be adjusted by unloosening bolt 68, swinging link 67 slightly and retightening the bolt 63. Although the dogs 65 may be held by gravity in engagement with the legs 31 of the clips a spring 69, similar to spring 62, may be interposed between link 67 and dog 65 (FIG. 3).

As best seen in FIG. i, the disclosed embodiment of the present invention includes seven groups of feed fingers 53 and holding dogs 65 but it will be apparent that more or less groups may be employed if desired. It will also be noted that one feed finger 53 and dog 65 is provided after the printing step has been performed and preferably an additional hold back dog 65 is provided to impose some friction on the movement of the clips so as to obtain positive action by the feed finers 53.

g Referring back to the printing head 25, the same is slidably supported for vertical reciprocation in a housing generally designated 71 which is secured to the front side 3 of the housing 1. slidably supported onopposite sides of the printing element 26 are a pair of guides 72, 73 which are tapered at their lower ends to relatively fine extremities adapted to fit between the upper sides of adjacent clips and at the same time engage the opposite sides of each clip leg. These guides 72, 73 are slidably supported within head and are yieldably urged downwardly by compression springs 74, 7 5.

As best seen in the semischematic view, FIG. 5, upon downward movement of the printing head 25 the lower extremities of guides 72, 73 first engage the leg 31 of each clip thus automatically centering the leg relative to said guides and permitting the printing element 26 to engage the extreme upper portion of each clip leg when the head 25 approaches its extreme lowermost position. The guides 72, 73 of course retract into the head 25 against the urgency of springs 74, 75 as the printing element 26 approaches its printing position shown in FIG. 5.

The above described apparatus may be run at an extremely high rate of speed since the clips are positively guided at all times. Furthermore an extremely large number of clips in the form of groups of about 70 or 80 each (FIG. 2) may be applied to feed rail 50 at one time by the operator who may then leave the apparatus to attend to other matters until all of the clips on rail 50 have been imprinted. No damage results from the machine running when no clip is under the printing head because printing element 26 does not travel far enough down to engage rail 50. The clips are preferably discharged from rail 50 onto an elongated rod 77 which, in cooperation with a flange 78 secured to the upper edge of container 79, permits each group of clips, which remain secured together as shown in FIG. 2, to drop into receiver 79.

The adjustment screw 17 on support bar 16 (FIG. 7) permits the bearing block 13 to be adjusted vertically so as to obtain the desired force of the imprinting surface 27 of printing element 26 against the clip legs 31. In this manner the apparatus is readily adjusted to suit clips of different diameters. As noted above the amplitude through which oscillating bar moves may also be adjusted to suit different diameter clips.

Although each group of clips is preferably pushed up against the trailing clip of the preceding group when the machine is loaded so' that a clip is printed on each reciprocation of the printing head, this is not essential since, as noted above, the printing head may skip clips without injury.

By positioning one of the feed fingers 53 closely adjacent printing head 25 as shown in FIG. 5, it will be apparent that feeding movement of the clips is accurately synchronized with the printing stroke of head 25.

Although the clips 30 are formed of wire of circular cross section, it will be apparent that the apparatus will operate equally well on shaped shapes of other cross section. However the centering function of guides 72, 73 is more readily performed on articles having upwardly converging sides such as round, triangular and-trapezoidal.

Although the present invention lends itself to use by clip manufacturers it is of great advantage to clip users who employ a large number of clips and who wish to provide indicia on each clip giving any desired information.

The very specific description given of the preferred form of the invention should not be taken as restrictive as it will be apparent that various modifications in design may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the following claims.

lclaim: I

1, Apparatus for printing articles each provided with an elongated portion having a central surface to be printed and a pair of sides on opposite sides of said surface and converging generally toward said surface, said apparatus comprising:

means for feeding such articles along a path of travel in one 'direction toward a printing station with said portions in side-by-side relation;

a printing head including a printing element at said station;

means for reciprocating said head transversely of said path between retracted and printing positions for periodically bringing said printing element into printing relation with said articles; a pair of rigid guides in said head positioned respectively on opposite sides of said element and slidable therealong;

means yieldably urging said guides outwardly of said head beyond the printing surface of said printing element; and

said guides being adapted to engage the opposite sides of an article to center the latter between said guides, whereby said printing surface of said element engages each article centrally of the latter, and whereby said guides are retracted against the urgency of said yieldable means as said head approaches said printing position.

2. Apparatus according to claim l wherein said feeding means includes a horizontally extending support on which said articles are slidable in side-by-side relation and a horizontally oscillating feeder element adapted to advance an article along said support toward said printing head a distance-equal to the lateral extent of such article on each oscillation, means connecting said feeder element with said printing head for synchronizing the oscillations of said element with the reciprocations of said head, said support being relatively long and a row of a plurality of such feeder elements spaced apart distances corresponding to a relatively large number of articles are provided for simultaneously feeding a relatively large number of articles. 

